


Trust Them

by vaenire



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: ? - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Comfort, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, M/M, au where baze and chirrut Adopted Them All, kids going to college, scrapbooking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2017-04-04
Packaged: 2018-10-14 17:04:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10540779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vaenire/pseuds/vaenire
Summary: “Maybe we should open a window and let some air in.”Baze nodded and went over to the dorm's window to open the blinds, cranking open the old window.Chirrut came up beside him, feeling along the window sill to find Baze’s hand.“At least his dorm has a nice view,” he said, beaming. Baze laughed despite himself. Jyn popped up on Baze’s other side, then, and peered out the window.“Baba,” she said. “It’s a parking lot.”-baze and chirrut drop off their eldest baby for college and baze has feelings





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Readerofmuch](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Readerofmuch/gifts).



> It's a kid fic! in a way! teenagers are still kids!! <3  
> but also here's a [cute related-ish post](http://chirrutimwe-rogueone.tumblr.com/post/157022647362/vaenire-proud-dads-listen-chirrut-and-baze)

Baze could feel a headache coming on as he hefted another box into Cassian’s arms. He had planned it carefully, knowing what was packed in what part of the van, and he’d checked over everything three times the night before. It was the moving and the chaos of move-in day at college that stressed him out so much.

Bodhi took up a laundry basket full of odds and ends, leaving just a bag of laundry for Baze. He set it on the ground, shutting all the doors, and followed Bodhi into the dorm.

Cassian was on the second floor, so they took the cramped stairway up to his room, squeezing to the side as other families went the other way.

Inside his little room, Jyn and Cassian were folding his clothes and putting them in his dresser, Chirrut directing Bodhi to set the basket down at the foot of Cassian’s bed.

“Laundry goes right to them, love,” Chirrut said to Baze, pointing in Cassian and Jyn’s direction.

“Bodhi,” Cassian said, hanging up one of his sweaters. “Can you check under the desk for a power outlet? I wanna set up my desktop right away.”

“Yeah,” Bodhi said, crawling under his desk. Baze bent over to look as well. Bodhi’s body blocked his view, of course, and he stood back up and leaned against Cassian’s bed near where Chirrut sat. He rubbed at his temples, feeling the headache getting stronger.

Chirrut put a hand on his shoulder, knowing Baze’s predicament without having to see. “Maybe we should open a window and let some air in.”

Baze nodded and opened the blinds, cranking open the old window. 

Chirrut came up beside him, feeling along the window sill to find Baze’s hand. 

“At least his dorm has a nice view,” he said, beaming. Baze laughed despite himself. Jyn popped up on Baze’s other side, then, and peered out the window. 

“Baba,” she said. “It’s a parking lot.” 

-

“Now you’re sure you have everything you need,” Baze asked as Cassian walked them down the car again. “All your notebooks and clothes and supplies?” 

“I’m sure. We went over the list three times before we left, Dad.” 

Chirrut put his hand on Baze’s shoulder. “If he needs anything, he can just pick it up at the store."

Baze nodded, still unable to brush off the feeling like there was  _ something _ they still needed to do, like it wasn’t quite time to leave Cassian and start the long drive home. “Do you know where your classes are going to be?” 

“My roommate and I are going to find them together when he gets here.” 

Baze wanted to suggest they walk around and get a feel for the campus, first, but Chirrut squeezed his shoulder. 

“It’s a long ride home,” Chirrut pressed. “We better start going.” 

Baze nodded slowly. Jyn was already pulling open the van’s side door. 

“Thanks for bringing me out,” Cassian said. He held out his arms for Bodhi, hugging them each in turn. He hugged Chirrut particularly tightly and Baze could hear him say “Thanks, Baba.” Finally, he turned to Baze. Baze hugged him hard, so that when Cassian said, “Dad, I’ll be fine,” he sounded muffled and strained. “I’ll call you tomorrow and I’ll tell you all about classes next week,” he promised. 

Baze just nodded. He could feel the lump forming in his throat, and even though he’d prepared for this day for months if not  _ years _ , he struggled to keep it together. When Cassian pulled out of the hug, Chirrut’s hand was back on his shoulder, running in soothing circles.

Cassian stood on the curb and waved at them until they were out of sight. Bodhi already had his phone out, presumably texting Cassian. 

The two of them were close, and it was going to be odd for Bodhi to be starting the school year the next day without his older brother with him. Baze had fretted over that late at night a few days earlier, and Chirrut patiently assured him that Bodhi would be just fine. 

But Bodhi was awkward, which Chirrut didn’t  _ get _ . Bodhi was like Baze had been-- quiet, always sticking to people he knew. Cassian was naturally the first to get his driver’s license, and had driven the two of them to school together for the past three years. Now Jyn was starting high school, and Bodhi would be driving them instead. Jyn was standoffish, too, when it came to her peers. Not that Baze had probably helped that at all. It took a while for anyone to get close to Baze, and he was quiet but steadfast in his affection. 

Middle school was hard for kids, but high school was a whole other deal. He wondered if Jyn would fit in. He worried that she wouldn’t, that something would come up with the other kids. Thank god Chirrut was there to help with any drama that came up. 

His thoughts turned back to Cassian. Cassian, who had been so wary of them all when they first brought him home, had snapped at Bodhi when he touched his stuff and was always sneaking off to sit somewhere alone. He’d changed a lot since then, and it made Baze glad to think about how he’d eased into their little family, but it also made his heart ache. 

Chirrut’s hand rested on Baze’s knee. “Love, you’re thinking too much. Focus on the road, please.” 

Baze huffed. “You can’t even see if I’m focused or not.” 

“I can feel the car swerving, dear.” 

Baze could hear Bodhi’s smothered laughter.

Baze huffed again, but held his tongue. He turned on the radio. 

-

It was late by the time they got home, and Jyn and Bodhi had school the next day so Chirrut shooed them off to get ready for the next day and then go to bed. 

Baze trudged up to their bedroom right away, physically and emotionally exhausted from the day. He sat on the edge of their bed heavily. He knew he should be helping Jyn and Bodhi line up their backpacks and lunches for their first day of school, but he couldn’t force himself to move. 

Chirrut found him a little while later, just sitting there with the lights off, and sat beside him. He rubbed Baze’s back and kissed his cheek, feeling the tenseness in his shoulders from the drive and all the weight of the day.

“I know it’s hard to see him off,” Chirrut said gently. Baze frowned and nodded. His head hurt. “It’s not like he won’t be coming home for break, though.” Baze frowned deeper and nodded again. 

“Oh, honey,” Chirrut cooed. Baze didn’t want to acknowledge the wetness forming at the corner of his eyes, but of course Chirrut would even without seeing or feeling it. 

Chirrut rested his cheek against Baze’s shoulder, his hand on Baze’s back moving to his hip. His warmth was soothing. Baze harumphed, leaning his face against Chirrut’s head and focusing on his breathing as holding back his emotions was getting harder and harder. 

“Bodhi’s going to be moving out next year,” he said, his voice tight. “And then two years before Jyn goes, too.” 

“They’re growing up,” Chirrut agreed. Baze just hummed. He grimaced against the wet tear that slid over his cheek. “Babe,” Chirrut said simply, reaching up to run his hands through Baze’s hair. 

“I just…” Baze trailed off, his throat tight, not even knowing where he was going with his sentence. There was so much going through his head-- what if Cassian didn’t like college? Or liked it so much he didn’t want to come visit? What if Jyn ended up hating high school? What if Bodhi didn’t have any friends now that Cassian was gone? It was overwhelming. 

Chirrut dug his fingers into Baze’s hair, massaging his scalp. Baze took deep breaths until he could feel himself relaxing into Chirrut, who leaned up to kiss his cheek again. 

“Why don’t you get ready for bed?” 

Baze nodded, groaning as he pushed himself to his feet. He grabbed a pair of sleep pants and went to the bathroom attached to their bedroom to brush his teeth and wash his face. He watched himself comb and rebraid his hair. His eyes were red and tired. 

When he returned to the room, Chirrut had pulled out a scrapbook-- one of the oldest ones that Baze had painstakingly put together over the years. They were clunky and big, with photos and stickers, and printed labels. Beside each photo was also a braille sticker that Baze had embossed. 

The braille was what made the scrapbooks so big, so each one only had a few years in it, becoming fewer years represented in each the more recent they became as they documented all three of the children’s activities and achievements. 

Baze sat beside Chirrut leaning in to see which book Chirrut had pulled out. Spotting a young Bodhi with gawky limbs and a chubby face, Baze immediately recognized that the book was from roughly eight years ago, when Bodhi was in his elementary school years. 

Chirrut paid him no mind yet, his fingers flying over the braille describing the photo. It was Bodhi’s fifth grade science fair when he had programmed a robotic hand. In the background of the photo, Baze spotted himself and Cassian, with his long greasy hair that he refused to cut for a year after they adopted him. Baze, of course, didn’t mind the long hair-- it’s just that the kid had been so stubborn and refused to  _ take care of it _ . 

Baze had been looking at this book quite a lot, recently. It was the first scrapbook that Cassian appeared in. Although Cassian had come into their family the August of that year, just in time to start sixth grade, he didn’t let them take his photo until that spring. 

Chirrut flipped the page and read the description of the next photo. It was Jyn’s seventh birthday party, and Jyn had her arms around each of her brothers, pulling them down to her level and grinning at the camera in that way little kids did to show all of their teeth. Bodhi and Cassian were grinning together. Cassian had frosting on his cheek to match the frosting on Jyn’s fingers and in Jyn’s braided hair. 

Baze laughed, remembering taking the photo all those years before. Seconds after, Cassian had smeared his hand into his cupcake’s frosting and chased Bodhi down, refusing to let him go untouched. 

The next page was all five of them posing together, Bodhi’s forehead covered in pink frosting. Jyn sat on Baze’s knee, and Bodhi sat between Baze and Chirrut. Cassian stood on Chirrut’s other side, his arm around Chirrut’s shoulders. They were all smiling, and that ache came back into Baze’s chest. 

Chirrut opened his mouth to say something, but couldn’t get it out before a knock came on their open door. 

“Hey,” Bodhi said unsurely. “I was just going to say good night…” He shuffled awkwardly until Chirrut beckoned him in. 

“We’re just looking at some old photos,” Chirrut said, patting the bed beside himself. Bodhi sat, curiously looking at the scrapbook. 

When he saw a picture of himself, he groaned and looked away. “Why are you looking at  _ that _ ? You guys are horrible.” 

“Baww, but you’re so  _ cute _ ,” Chirrut goaded him, reaching out to  feel for Bodhi’s face and pinch his cheek. 

Bodhi swatted at his hand weakly, smiling sheepishly. Bodhi’s baby fat was gone nowadays, just a memory. He a beautiful young man, miles away from the wide-eyed kiddo they had brought home so many years ago. 

Chirrut had continued flipping pages, now landing on a first day of school picture-- if Baze remembered correctly, it was Cassian, Bodhi and Jyn’s first day of seventh, sixth and third year respectively. Cassian’s hair was trimmed so his eyes were entirely visible, and Bodhi’s hair was shaved rather short. Jyn’s hair was in two thick braids the way she used to insist Baze do it for her. 

Bodhi sighed deeply, averting his gaze. His hair was longer now, where he could style it up with gel. Baze breathed a laugh, reaching over to rub his shoulder. 

“It’s going to be weird tomorrow,” Bodhi said quietly, smiling at the picture. 

Baze squeezed his shoulder, and Chirrut flipped to the next page. He read the description of a photo-- Bodhi and Cassian playing soccer in the school field. 

Tutting, Chirrut tapped the end of the braille description. “Baze’s writing is too short. Can you describe it?” he asked Bodhi. Bodhi raised his brows, glanced at Baze who rolled his eyes and nodded for him to go on. 

Bodhi leaned his cheek against Chirrut’s shoulder as he scrutinized the photo. 

“Ah, well, it’s at the middle school playfield, and the trees in the background-- you know, over by the fence in the pickup area-- they’re turning yellow so I think it’s Autumn. Cassian’s wearing basketball shorts like he always used to and a red sweater. I’m wearing jeans, which gave Cassian an unfair advantage I think,” Bodhi said, wiggling his finger in the air defensively. 

“I have mud on my knees. We had two cones set up and I was playing goalie so I’m kinda hunched, and you can see my face, and I’m just staring down at the ball. Cassian’s just standing there with his foot on it like ten feet in front of me.” 

Chirrut took it in, grinning down at the page. “You should help Baze write these, you know. You’re a lot more descriptive than he is.” 

“There’s no way that would fit on the page,” Baze grumbled. 

“Bodhi?” Jyn called from the other room. “Where are you?” 

“We’re all in here,” Bodhi hollered back. 

Jyn peeped her head in the door. “Oh,” she said. “What are you looking at?” She strode over to the three of them, leaning over Chirrut’s lap to see the photos. “Oh, Baba that reminds me,” she said. Glancing at Baze, she turned to the low shelf there all the scrapbooks were lined up and grabbed one. 

She pulled it open and dropped it on Chirrut’s lap on top the other book before squishing in between Chirrut and Baze. 

Opening to a middle page, there was a photo of Chirrut and Baze, ten years younger and bundled in puffy winter jackets, standing on either side of a five-year-old Jyn. 

“Of course you pull this one out,” Bodhi mock-grumbled. 

See, Jyn had been their first. Baze and Chirrut were married as soon as they could, about fifteen years earlier, and started looking at adoption right away. After the long and emotionally laborious process, they brought home a three year old Jyn. When she started first grade, Bodhi joined them-- though they had initially wanted to adopt a younger brother for Jyn, they fell in love with Bodhi as soon as they met him. Soon Cassian came home, too. 

Jyn suddenly went from only child to youngest of three. 

Baze and Chirrut had talked extensively when they were just young men of raising the perfect number of children and having a suburban home and giving their kids all the things they never had growing up. Baze would talk about all the modifications he’d make to their home, to both child-proof it and make it perfect for Chirrut’s needs. Handrails and braille stickers on everything. A greenhouse where Chirrut could grow his plants and meditate, and a backyard their kids could play in.

Jyn scoffed at Bodhi’s comment, flipping intently to an early page. “Here it is,” she said, grabbing Chirrut’s hand and putting on the picture’s description. It was their wedding photo. 

Chirrut smiled softly. “What are you thinking about?” he asked Jyn. 

“Well,” she said, sliding her fingers over the braille after Chirrut’s hands. She’d been teaching herself braille. “First,” she pulled her hand away and put in on Chirrut’s face. “You’re both so old now.” She laughed at Chirrut’s outraged cluck. “But also,” she said more seriously. “Dad didn’t mention here how he’s crying in the picture.” 

Bodhi shifted closer to look over Chirrut’s shoulder, smiling fondly and giving Baze a discrete and mirthful look. Jyn looked up at Baze too, grinning. Chirrut had a half formed smile on his lips, and he ran his hands over the wedding photo’s description again. 

“Maybe  _ you _ should describe that to me,” he said to Jyn. Jyn’s grin spread even wider before she turned back to the book, about to start putting together a description that would make Baze want to leave the room, he was sure. 

“Oh, come on Jyn. We have to go to bed, leave Dad alone,” Bodhi prodded at her side. 

“ _ Thank _ you, Bodhi,” Baze said over Jyn’s dissatisfied groan. “It  _ is  _ time for bed. You’re all packed for the day? Lunches?” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Jyn said, crawling off the bed and grabbing the scrapbooks to replace them on the shelf. “We’re all ready.” 

Bodhi gave Chirrut a one arm hug and said good night quietly before standing as well, earning a soft smile from Chirrut. “Our alarms are all set, too,” he said. 

“You have clothes picked out?” 

Jyn nodded, yawning. 

“Then off to bed.” 

“Night Dad, night Baba.” 

Jyn closed the door behind them. 

Chirrut just smiled for a moment before dramatically throwing himself back across their bed. 

“Baze,” he said, his voice tinged with fondness, “my soft, sweet husband. Come here” 

He spread out his arm, beckoning for Baze to rest his head on his chest. 

Baze sighed deeply and curled up to his side, resting his face at the crook of Chirrut’s shoulder and neck. Chirrut immediately buried his hand in Baze’s long hair, massaging his scalp and combing through the hair at the top of his head. 

“Maybe I should call Cassian before we go to sleep tonight.” 

Chirrut sighed. “I’m sure he’s too busy getting to know his roommate,” he said. Baze swallowed hard.

“He might’ve remembered something he forgot.” 

Baze could feel Chirrut start to shake his head in disbelief, but stopped himself. “Honey, listen,” he said, tugging on Baze’s hair a little to make him look at him. “I know you’re worried, but you have to let Cassian figure all this out.” He brought up his other hand to cup Baze’s cheek. 

Baze placed his hand over Chirrut’s, eye flitting around anything other than Chirrut’s face even though Chirrut could see right through him regardless. “I know, but--” 

“Honey,” Chirrut interrupted him sweetly. “Listen, it’s hard, I know.” He rubbed his thumb over Baze’s cheek and smiled softly again. “Sweet, sweet Baze. They’re growing up, but they still love you and need you; it’s just different now. It took the kids a while to trust us, but now we have to trust them.”

Baze swallowed and nodded. 

“Listen, if Cassian doesn’t call these first few days, it’s because he’s busy. You can call him this weekend.” Chirrut pecked his lips and grinned. “You’re a good Dad, Baze.” 

Baze pursed his lips and frowned to cover the ache in his chest. They raised good kids. Of course they did. 

“You too, Baba.” 

Chirrut’s small giggle turned into contagious full bodied laughter. “Come on, time for bed for us, too.”   
  


**Author's Note:**

> Not pictured: Cassian bringing someone home for Thanksgiving and his entire family reaching for the embarrassing scrapbooks at the same time. God they would be the _worst_


End file.
